


Trusting a Playboy

by Sharkypan87



Series: Trusting my Heart to You [1]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: FrostIron - Freeform, Humor, M/M, Romance, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-21
Updated: 2013-09-17
Packaged: 2017-11-16 18:14:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/542383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharkypan87/pseuds/Sharkypan87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Born from a prompt on DA:<br/>"FrostIron. And angst. Why don't you write an angsty one where Loki loves Tony but Tony doesn't feel the same way, at least not at first, and maybe he like confesses his love or something."</p><p>Loki falls in love with Tony, but he has no idea on how to declare his love and get the inventor to love him back. Thor helps and troubles follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Open Your Eyes

Feelings have never meant much to him, he was used to being hated, despised and feared, people always averted their gaze when they met his eyes, so it was no wonder that he didn't recognized it right away.

The first time he realized it, he was utterly shocked. Frozen in place with a sickening feeling in his gut.

They weren't fighting as usual nor were they exchanging witty insults into the air.

The night was chilly and peaceful, not many people were around at this late hour and it was the perfect way to relax after a long and boring day spent reading tome after tome looking for an ancient artifact that still refused to be found.He was strolling along the lonely streets of the city, lost in thoughts, feet silently carrying him forward. A light rain had started suddenly and now he was hurrying back home, no, not home, back to his lair, for a home is more than just a building were one dwells. He wasn't paying much attention to his surrounding, still deep in thoughts, black hair soaked wet and clinging in front of his eyes, so at first he didn't notice that there was someone on the ground, writhing and calling for help.  
He focused his attention on the man lying across the street and noticed the short frame and dark hair, he reminded him of someone, but his face was still hidden and covered in dirt. He thought of resuming his walk, dismissing the boring interruption, for surely that was just a drunken idiot who probably fell and now couldn't stand up anymore, but curiosity got the better of him and he found himself approaching the man slowly.  
He poked his side with his boot, gaining a soft grunt from the man who remained lying face down on the concrete. Annoyed by this turn of events he kicked the man hard, rolling him on his back, trying to get him out of his drunken state. He was covered in dirt, the stench of alcohol could be smelled strongly, but what caught his attention was the dark stain in his abdomen, clearly the man was injured, so he knelt closer to inspect the wound, but as soon as he saw his face the god froze in place, recognizing immediately who really was at his feet. 

It wasn't their first meeting, for that one dated back more than a year ago. No, the first time he looked at that man, that irritating human was making fun of him, calling him reindeer game, mocking him from that strange device of his. He thought nothing of him at the time, for the man was nothing more than a simple ant compared to him, a god, so why bother? And yet, as the weeks transformed into months he found himself growing hungry for their bantering, to meet that pathetic, little human, with a mind to rival a god.  
He was interesting, a novelty, after all in his world only a warrior had value, so he always felt like an outcast, a stranger in his own house, but in this realm he found someone who truly caught his eye, someone who isn't afraid of him, on the contrary tries every time to best him.

So after a while, he unexpectedly realized that for some impossible reason he had changed his mind. And so he started noticing things that he never had before, for example how sleek he seems to be while flying in his suit, how his voice sounds ever so sweet when he starts calling him names, or when no more than a month ago, when they were fighting over a skyscraper and ended up smashing into the rooftop, rolling on the ground, so that much to his delight he felt the smaller man's frame underneath him, trapped by his weight and he lost himself imagining what it would be like to have him like this, naked, in his bed.  
That little distraction had almost cost him his freedom, for the other avengers had reached their friend fast enough and if he hadn't teleported himself he surely would have been caught that time.  
Since that day he had tried his best to avoid a direct confrontation with the man, but it seemed really impossible to resist the temptation of having him all for himself.

Now the sight that greeted him wasn't a pleasant one, the man's right eye was swollen, a bruise already forming, his nose bled slightly and all in all he appeared as if someone had smashed his face countless times on a wall.  
He realized with a start that the man had recognized him, for his eyes focused on his face and a small grin touched his mouth.

"Gah, this must be really my lucky day, first I get dumped… then stabbed… mugged… and now what, Loki'd?"

He rasped between ragged breaths, willing his body to cooperate despite the pain and the blood loss.

"Well, if I had known that to successfully kill you I just had had to wait and you would have voluntary bled at my feet I would have."

The Trickster was staring right at him now, trying to decide his course of action, for sure, this was really a most unexpected situation, so much for avoiding him!

The man at his feet started laughing and coughing at the same time, eyeing him with a strange light in his eyes.

"Ah, really, I always thought that when I was gonna go I would have done it with a great bang…" 

Loki's face flushed at his words, he grabbed the man by his shoulders, trying to will him to stay awake.

" … but I guess that at least this way the last thing that I'll see would be your beautiful face. "

He smiled slightly, words breathed lowly, before closing his eyes and going limp in the god's arms.

NO! 

NO! 

NO!

 

Open your eyes, look at me! Talk to me!

 

Loki was frantic, his thoughts were whirling in his mind, trying to find a solution to this mess, he didn't know what to do, but he didn't want it to end like this, not without saying to him how much he has started caring for the man. He couldn't let him die, even though he is an enemy, he felt protective of him.

He gathered the man more securely into his arms and started chanting, calling his magic forth so that a green hue enveloped the human, healing the wound on his abdomen, willing his heart to beat again.

Willing the man to come back to life.

After what it seemed an eternity he felt the smaller man breathing again and he cradled the man of iron in a tight grip teleporting them both from the dark street to the Avengers tower.  
He appeared in the balcony, just out of the man's room, with just a thought he opened the glass door and stepped inside, stilling his movements when he heard voices coming from downstairs. The others inhabitants of the house were still loitering around, so he had to be very careful with his actions.  
He briefly glanced at the man sleeping in his arms, he was completely healed now and looked so peaceful nestled in his embrace.  
He knew that he couldn't waste time, one of the others could come up anytime, so he hurried toward the bed, placing gently the man on the bed and stripping him free of his clothing, admiring his taut body with hungry eyes.  
He ran a hesitant hand over his chest, wondering about the strange device embedded in his skin, but dismissed the thought hastily, resuming his prior actions. He cleaned him, erasing all evidences of the night's events, hoping this way to fool the man and have him oblivious of everything.  
When everything was of his liking he readied himself to depart, nearing the glass door once again and glancing back one last time to admire the sleeping man.  
His mind went back to that street, to his body dying in his arms and it was in that exact moment, when he exhaled his last breath that Loki truly grasped the depth of his feeling.  
He walked back toward the bed, knelt beside it and rested his hand on the man's cheek, caressing gently his face and feeling his warmth on his skin.

No, he wasn't a coward and never will be. He'll wait for his chance, he'll bide his time and he'll do everything in his power to win over his affection, for now he has no more doubts about it.

He loved him.


	2. You'll Be Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, let's meet the others :D

The week after that fateful night was a tense one.

The morning after, Tony woke up with his usual hang over, a bitter taste in his mouth and a strange aching all over his body, like being on the wrong end of a hit-and-run.  
He lay flat on his bed, trying to recall what the hell had happened the night before, but his memories were confused to say the least.  
He remembered talking with Pep, her dumping his "sorry and egoistical" ass and then came the alcohol, but what after that? Images of him drinking went through his mind, with more snaps of him arguing with someone, pain, lots and lots of pain and green… a soothing green "something".

What the…? 

He was always pretty confused after a great party, but this was weird even for his standards.  
He dragged himself into the shower, the water was cold and woke him up completely.   
He made it back to his room and examined his body in front of the mirror, no bruises, no cuts, nothing, so why did he feel like shit? And how did he manage to get back home? His last thought, not very clear to be honest, was of him leaving the bar alone. But what after that? Did he catch a cab home?

He dressed himself with his usual casual clothing and went to the kitchen to have a healthy breakfast, or in his case a double or triple mug of coffee. 

"Good morning, Dracula"

He glared at Clint from the door, barely noticing the weird glances he was receiving.

"Huh? The hell are you talking about, Barton?"

"Well, you know, you sure look like a vampire, you stay awake at night and sleep through the day and seem to live on a liquid diet, even though it's just coffee, you know, like the undead!"

Clint was perched on the kitchen stool, emptying yet another bag of chips, while smirking at him.

"What, you sleep till 11 in the morning, I resent being scolded by you."

Tony snapped back, still a little irritated at his memory loss, making his way toward the fresh coffee on the counter.

"Yup, but right now it's 4 in the afternoon."

Tony stopped in the middle of pouring his precious elixir. What? So late already? He never sleeps so much anymore, damn, what the fuck did he do last night?

"Huh, right, yeah, I… I was tired."

He explained lamely taking his mug and heading towards his lab, he needed to do something helpful with the rest of the day. He lost so much time already and the suit needed some repairs from his last battle.

He arrived downstairs just in time to hear a soft gasp and a loud crash, he walked hastily over to Bruce's side of the lab to check on his friend, just to make sure he was okay.

"Hey, Brucey, you'll alright in th… shit!"

He was just approaching the man when he suddenly changed into the green hulk, obviously pissed at something.

"Broke… you…" 

The hulk had someone trapped in the corner of the lab, Tony couldn't see very well, but he thought he should help him out, at least to prevent the hulk to smash the whole lab like the last time.

"Ahhh, Brucey, who had you all mad?"

The iron man said without breaking a sweat, striding into the lab. He has never been afraid of the hulk and his temper tantrum, yes, he just loved call them this way, so why start now?  
After all he knows that there's still his friend deep down in there, or maybe he's just that self-destructive, who knows.

"Tony? Oh, God, Tony, please help me, please, I didn't mean it! I swear!"

"Cap? Cap what the hell are you doing here? What did you do to make him so angry at you?"

Tony was even more surprised than before, Bruce never loses his cool with the Cap and Steve never comes down in the lab, for he just have the delicacy of an elephant.

"Tony, please help me out here. I might have knocked something on the ground and… and Bruce tried his best to calm himself but maybe I said something wrong, because he transformed in an instant!"

See? A clumsy super-hero and a fussy scientist, not a great mix, nope.

"Okay, Steve, what did you break? Is that purple thing on the ground? What was that?"

"I have no idea, Bruce said it was something called EC15 or something, Tony, call him away, he's getting closer."

Cap's voice was beginning to grow fearful, after all an angry Hulk after you is no simple shit.

"Gah, Cap, Really? The EC150? You've got to be kidding me! We've been working on that together for the last 3 months. Geez, Steve, I want to bust your ass, too!"

Tony sighed deeply In frustration, his and Bruce's work was all over the lab's floor, ruined, after three long months of experimenting and all-nighters, of course Bruce got pissed!

"C'mon Big Guy, leave the Cap alive this time, I'll have Jarvis block him at the door next time, really, blond and dumb, you're a walking stereotype!"

Tony went over and touched gently Bruce's green form, tugging on his arm to get his attention away from the huddled form on the floor.

"Go away while I try to calm him down, run as soon as he has his back to you."

Tony was leading a fuming Hulk away from the destruction of his precious lab and into a spare room nearby.   
He had built that room himself for when Bruce needed some time to chill out, so it was fully equipped to relax oneself.   
Peaceful music, soft lights and cushions all over the floor. He led his friend to his favorite corner, the one near the window and sat down with him.

"Okay, Bruce, I need to go and do some work, just stay here, relax and try not to choke Steve next time you see him."

The hulk seemed to understand him pretty well, he sat more comfortably and hummed to himself while Tony headed back to his lab.

"Jarvis, block Steve entrance card, no need to have the whole lab flattened every time he enters it and upload the new work on the suit, let's see if I can have any work done today."

'Yes, Sir. Uploading in progress.'

Tony went to his desk and examined the new schematics, oblivious of a pair of green eyes that were watching him from the darkest corner of his lab.

 

It had been a strange day for Loki, he spent the night watching Tony sleeps and when the sun started his rising he left him and went back to his lair, he took a bath and slipped into bed, trying to rest and recover his magic.   
But sleep was hard to find, for his dreams were filled with blood, wounds and pain, old and new alike.   
He dreamed of losing Tony, of not being able to restore his health and losing him to death.  
He woke screaming at the top of his lungs, sheets pooling at his lap and body drenched in sweat. He panted heavily, trying to calm himself, but to no avail.

He left his bed and took a quick shower, for he couldn't ease his fear, not till he could check on Tony himself.  
He dressed hastily and left his apartment, heading straight to the Avengers tower.

He reached his destination and slipped inside unnoticed, masking his presence and becoming invisible to the human eyes.  
He searched the bedroom first, then the bathroom, founding the both of them empty, he headed to the kitchen next, but only his former slave was there, eating peacefully some midgardian food.

He was about to reveal his presence to the man when he heard a commotion going on downstairs and hurried himself toward the voices.  
He was still protected by his invisible spell so no one noticed him inside the lab, watching the scene with growing horror, as Tony approached the green beast and touched it on his massive arm.   
He remained silent and unmoving till the end, observing curiously as Tony took the beast out of the first room and into a new one, talking softly with that thing.

When the man of iron left his friend to return to his lab Loki followed him, seating himself on a big piece of red metal and starting to calm himself, noticing that here everything was nice and safe.  
At least till he heard Tony talking to someone named Jarvis, whose body he had yet so see.  
He practically jumped out of his skin when he heard a voice answer back to the human. He tried to locate the intruder, but couldn't.   
He looked everywhere but found no one, then he realized that everything in this room answered the man's commands like his strange metal creatures, and he talked to them as he would with another human being.

Loki had never been more fascinated in all of his life.  
A man that can easily approach a mindless beast, talk to it and feel no fear whatsoever.   
A human who's able to create living beings, even if they were as simple as those strange creatures.   
The more he followed the human going about with his work, the more he found himself attracted to him.  
To those skilled hands, to that magnificent mind of his.

Tony was working on a heavy part of his device, so much to Loki delight he took his shirt off, wiping his body from the sweat and grease that covered his face and chest.  
He rested himself on the wall near one of his car, unaware that Loki was leaning just a couple of inches away from him.

Looking at his half-naked body with hungry eyes. 

Oh, the things he would do to him.  
He could easily imagine himself trapping the smaller man against that same wall, claiming his lips in a hot scorching kiss, leaving him panting and heavy with need.  
He would gladly take him there, or over his desk, or the floor, he didn't care, as long as he could sheath himself inside him and forget everything else.

He raised his hand to cup the man's cheek, but stopped abruptly when someone called him.

"Hey Tony, call it a day and come up here, we're having movie night, c'mon man, you can't work all night!"

Clint's voice was rough with his popcorn chewing and even though Tony didn't feel tired at all, he enjoyed their little movie nights, so he closed his files, turned off the panels and headed upstairs for a relaxing night with his friends.  
Maybe he could get them to see Saw, he chuckled to himself, just to see if Cap faint half-way through it.

Loki remained in the now dark room, mulling over his actions of the past minutes.   
He was about to reveal himself and ruin everything.   
He can't scare the man away. He has to come up with a plan. Yes, a plan to win over the human affections. He was a master at planning. He needed to go back to his apartment to make a list, he had a lot to do and little patience to do it all.   
He has never been sure of anything in his life, for uncertainty has been all he had ever known over the centuries, but not anymore.

For the first time in his life he knew something for sure, he mused to himself.

You'll be mine.


	3. How Do You Court a Midgardian Genius?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki makes a move...

Movie night was a hilarious thing. Clint had already beaten Tony in the movie choice, but the billionaire wasn't disappointed in the least.  
After all they saw The Ring. The archer had convinced them to go with the Japanese version, "a lot more historical accurate", so both Steve and Bruce were pretty thrilled about it.  
Well, for the first 20 minutes, anyway. They were all seated in the living room, with Steve, Bruce and Tony on the couch and Clint on the floor with Natasha in his lap, toying with her curls and waiting for the movie to unfold.   
Thor wasn't with the group as his usual, for he already had a date with Jane. Halfway through the movie Tony couldn't sit still anymore and after what seemed to be the third time that Steve gave a tiny whimper, he snaked his hand past Bruce's head and neared Steve, scratching lightly the nape of the Cap in question, getting him to suddenly flee the room, scrambling from his place on the couch to run for his life, screaming at the top of his lungs.   
Tony rolled on the floor laughing, holding his stomach with both hands, while the others were glaring at him.

"Aw, c'mon people, cheer up, it's not like he's going to be scarred for the rest of life. Plus he ruined mine and Bruce's work, so he deserved it."

The whole room rolled eyes at Tony and his prank, secretly smirking at the Cap's reaction, especially Bruce, who was still a little annoyed at his earlier transformation.  
Tony headed to his bar to pour himself a full glass of his beloved amber drink and sighted heavily at his comrades' glares.

"Fine, fine. Cut the stares, the great Tony Stark will apologize. Okay?"

"Are you trying to end the world? Really, I never thought of hearing the words Tony Stark and apology in the same sentence. The Mayans were right, this would be the last year of this planet." 

Clint was still laughing at his remark when he was silenced by a very unamused Natasha and a sharp elbow in his gut, clearly not impressed with his ill-timed humor, ending his mirth on a low whine of pain.

Tony left the room in search of Steve, successfully founding him on the terrace, staring at the breathtaking view from the tower, so lost in thought that at first he didn't even noticed the billionaire presence.

Tony cleared his throat, not wanting to scare his friend again and walked near him, speaking up before he even had time to come up with a good apology.

"Uh… Cap… look… I… I just w-wanted t-to tell you-"

"No, Tony, it's okay, I-I know why you did it. You were just trying to make your point. I'd already apologized to Bruce and you both, but I guess it wasn't much of an apology if you felt the need to humiliate me some more."

"What? No, no, I wasn't trying to humiliate you, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, I… I just found funny that you scare so easily by that-"

"Really, Tony, you apologize and then you insult me again? Just pick one already."

The billionaire appalled at that, looking with growing horror at the sad and hurt expression on Steve's face. His big blue eyes were glistening with unshed tears and looked every bit as a beaten puppy.

"I… you… that was… you know Bruce… I didn't mean that… and Clint then…"

Tony was at loss of words, this was going so bad that he couldn't even look the Cap in the face, so it took him a moment to realize that Steve was smiling softly at his incoherent ramblings.

"You're just so easy to tease, really, I know that both you and Clint like to scare me, it's not always okay, but I'll try my best to get even with the two of you."

Steve was sporting a full smile now, looking down at a baffled Tony. He waved his hand and headed back inside, thinking deeply of something to do to Clint.

Tony stared dumb folded at the disappearing form of Steve, their previous conversation replaying over and over in his mind. Well, he got played by Cap, the supposedly naïve Steve Rogers.  
Really, it's not every day that someone can brag about that.   
He shook his head making his way back to his bar, pouring another glass of scotch and downing it in one go. Suddenly he felt the need to get drunk, so he took the whole bottle with him and went to his room, avoiding his friends that surely will scold him for that.  
They always manage to piss him off with their snide remarks about his drinking, telling him that he's far more an alcoholic than he thought he is.

Whatever, he's been called worse.   
It's not that he likes to fog his mind with tons of vodka, but the alcohol just seems to fill the emptiness that he feels deep down inside.  
He stared once more at the terrace, changing his mind and gulping down the whole bottle on his way to the railing. He stared at the city lights long enough that he suddenly felt tired.  
The scotch was already burning him all over, making his head light and his feet heavy.

He decided to call it a night and go to bed. He reached his room slower than was necessary, watching carefully every step till he half leaned on his door. He turned the knob with little force, swung the door open and entered the dark bedroom using the wall to stay upright.

"Jarvis, turn on the light at 15 per cent, no need to blind me, yet."

"Yes, sir."

A dim glow flooded the room illuminating the furniture barely enough not to run into them.

A soft gasp erupted from a lithe figure seated on the corner of the bed.

"Well, this must be the first time that I'm having hallucinations with so little booze."

Tony stated in a flat tone, watching with a strange sort of annoyance at a well-known God of Mischief, in his room, on his bed.  
Really, if his subconscious starts producing this kind of dreams he seriously needs to get laid.   
He spoke before even thinking it through.

"So, you thought of dropping by for a quickie… ahem, for a fight? A fight, right!"

The god on his bed raised an inquiring brow, a small smirk forming on his lips. Obviously the man of iron was not in his right mind, he could smell the foul aroma of some Midgardian drink already and surely the fume of alcohol was dampening that sharp mind of his, but if his thoughts went in the same directions as his, why should he dissuade him?

"Why, Stark, I thought you didn't lack bed partners, but of course, it's not polite to refuse a maiden's advances."

Loki but purred his words, leaning seductively on the bed, daring the man in front of him to do something foolish.  
For example straddling him.

Tony felt a tingle go down his spine, the god's words were like silk on his mouth and his drunken mind couldn't grasp at all the meanings of this. He stared at him and gave a little snort.

"Who are you calling a maiden? Are you drunk? And what's this? A complicate plan to destroy us? Since you couldn't beat us in a fight now you resort to your body? How low."

Tony tried to rein back his true thoughts behind snappish words, but he didn't understand fully the determination of the man in his room.

Loki stood abruptly, hurt deeply by Tony's words.  
Really, that stupid mortal thought that he would sell his body so easily? And to what end, then? Just to beat them?

"How dare you? If you were but a common mortal I'll have you crushed by now."

Loki spat in return, walking toward the smaller man, and successfully trapping him to the wall behind.

"Implying that I'm more than an average mortal? Please, everybody knows that."

"You should know better than to provoke a god, Stark, unless you truly wish to end your life."

"I'm never been one for self-preservation, you know? I usually speak my mind. Like now, big guy, back off!"

The billionaire pushed the god on his chest, trying to avoid that stubborn man from entirely trapping him against the wall, but Loki's arms were on either side of Tony, blocking every way out.   
He leaned his face down to brush his lips on the shell of the inventor's ear, gaining a soft shudder from the pinned man. 

"I find your humor very strange, human, but I'll let it go this time, if I can have something in return."

By now Loki was flush with the smaller man's body, breathing every word into Tony's ear and sliding a lithe leg between the inventor's ones.  
He moved lower on the inventor's body, caressing his lips on the man's bearded jaw.

Tony was completely baffled at Loki's actions, he was pretty sure at this point that the man in front of him wasn't an alcohol induced hallucination, but indeed the infamous Liesmith.   
He felt his lips on his ear and it took all of his will power not to moan softly.   
Damn, what was his game?   
Because, really, he couldn't be here to have sex, right?  
Right?   
It was just Tony's sex-deprived mind that was playing tricks on him, because there was no way in hell that he was getting hard with Loki's lips near his own and his knee pressed firmly into his groin!

Yes! That was it!  
It was all a trick to let his guard down.

"Ah, you know, Reindeer Games, if you just want to join the Avengers and get a room here at Hotel Crazy, you should probably talk with Cap."

Tony grasped out without looking him in the eye, but carefully making his way out of the man's arms, sliding out of his reach and walking toward the door once more.

"How did you reach this strange conclusion? Do tell, have I upset you, little mortal?"

Loki let him go, not trusting his body right now, for if he felt Tony's trembling form beneath him once more he'll do something that he'll probably regret later.

Probably.

He sighed in frustration. His body was already growing with need and he was feeling a little uncomfortable. But he didn't want to induce the man into thinking of his approach as a mere way to fulfill a fleeting need. A quickie, as Tony had called it.   
He didn't want to be another momentary bed partner for the inventor.

No, he wanted more, much more.

He wanted it all.

Because once he got him where he needed him, there is no way in all the nine realms that he's going to let him go.  
He will be his forever.

"Uh… nope, not at all, I'm not a cuddling drunk, that's all. Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to get some water. Yes, a glass of water. "

Tony practically ran from the room, taking the steps two at the time and reaching the kitchen breathless.  
Did he just imagine everything? Was his mind really so fixated with Thor's brother? Maybe he just need to jerk off more, 'cause there is no way that the God of Mischief was in his room just 5 minutes ago.  
He calmed himself down, slowing his heart beat and taking deep breath. He worked up enough nerve to venture into his room once again. He has to make sure of the truth.  
He opened the door with a loud slam and looked inside with wide eyes.

The room was completely empty.   
So he really had imagined everything. He felt a small tug at his heart, but he paid no mind to it.  
He closed the door and made his way to the bed. The sheets were perfectly made, indicating that no one has been lounging on his bed.  
What the…?  
Maybe he shouldn't drink so much before sleeping for it sure made his mind ran wild.

Shielding his presence from the inventor Loki observed him from the window, he had set the room back to its original state, as to not raise suspicions when the man would have come back later, but he was pleasantly surprised to see Tony back so early.  
He admired Tony, for he had showed to possess enough courage to face him again, after all he came to check if what he saw was real.   
The Trickster remained unmoved near the window, following Tony's movements throughout the room with glowing eyes.   
He only inched a little closer when he saw the billionaire getting ready to bed.  
He watched the black shirt and the black jeans falling to the ground, while Tony climbed under the covers with just his boxer.

When Loki heard a faint snore from the smaller man and was sure that he was asleep, he become once again visible and closed the distance between the window and the bed, seating himself on the other side of it, gently stroking Tony's hair.

He stared at his mouth, so close and yet so far from his grasp. 

He can't keep this going, but tonight's approach had showed him that a direct confrontation was pretty much useless and discarded as a plain trick from the man. He has to get back to his plan. He has to show him how serious he is in this matter, and what a better way to prove his intentions than a true courtship?   
Yes, this was an acceptable solution, he will court the man following the Midgardian's customs and he'll have his little inventor all for himself.

But how do you court a Midgardian genius?


	4. A Life Worth Living

Tony's sleep wasn't very restful that night, he kept dreaming about green eyes, blood pooling at his side and dark, cold concrete on his back. He woke with a start, sweat coating his body and a fine trembling engulfing him from head to toe.   
He searched his room with bleary eyes, looking for something that obviously wasn't there.   
He got up on shaky legs and made his way to the bathroom, stepping under a freezing shower to chase away the remnants of his dreams. He let the water cascade all over him, calming his heartbeat and sharpening his mind once again. He turned off the shower and stepped in front of the mirror in his room, exanimating himself thoroughly in search of wounds, bruises, that something that his subconscious is trying to remind him about just between wake and sleep.   
He swept his hands on his chest, near the arc reactor, on his abs, his legs, but in the end he found nothing.  
Scowling in annoyance he dressed quickly with his beloved black clothes and made his way to his lab, skipping breakfast completely.

 

Loki had spent another night in Tony's room, watching him have a restless sleep. He could no longer leave his side at night, for he longed to hold him in his arms when sleep claims him.   
He had spent several nights already in the inventor's room and his patience is running thin at this point.   
He got up from the bed stiffly, and after kissing Tony's forehead, left the Tower for his lair.

He entered his dark abode quietly, took a quick shower and after dressing casually he forsake the allure of his own bed, empty and far too cold for his taste, and went outside to clear his head. 

He strolled through the city with his own thoughts as company, trying to make some order into his mind. 

First thing first, he though briefly, he needed knowledge.  
Since his arrival on Midgard he had done nothing but fight the Avengers, thus knowing nothing of this planet's customs. He looked around the street, an idea already worming its way in his mind. He needed to learn the way of this realm, and where better to find the answers that he's seeking than a place of knowledge?  
He knew that he could find everything he's looking for in a book, for they always retain the knowledge of the people, both presents and pasts.  
With his new destination in mind he entered the nearest building that housed the objects of his desire.   
Apparently in this city books are sold in different places, so it should be easy enough to find the perfect one and learn everything he needs to know to properly court a Midgardian genius.

Or so he thought.

Apparently finding the right tome proved to be far harder than anticipated, for not one of the three book-selling buildings that he visited had the book in question. He continued his research till sunset, but to no avail.

Loki exited the last building with a headache, jaw set in a hard line and eyes blazing with fury. The people inside were as useless as the previous one and he was starting to loathe the entire ordeal. He had explained carefully what kind of book he required but the worthless wench inside just kept looking at him open-mouthed with a stupid expression on her face. He left the place before choking the life out of her foolish self, and made his way back to the Avengers Tower. He was tired and angry, a full day had passed and he knew nothing more than yesterday. He shielded his presence and made his way toward Tony's bedroom, wanting to see his face and be reminded again of the prize at stake.   
He found the room strangely empty and with a pout firm on his face, Loki headed downstairs, first in the kitchen, then the huge living space and finally made his way to the genius lab.

The music was at an impossible volume and he felt his ears scream in protest to the loud yelling that was coming from some sort of Midgardian band. He peered inside the lab, defying the assault to his senses and spotted his beloved working on his red and gold armor.  
He sighed warmly, all of his previous anger dissipating under a soft smile that was making its way on his lips at the sight of Tony's bare-chest form. He inspected the premises for someone else's presence, but the two were completely alone at this time of the night.   
He saw a half-eaten sandwich on the desk and briefly worried if that was both lunch and dinner for the man. He looked back at the billionaire and decided hastily that he needed more food, so he carefully neared the desk and with just a flick of his hand the plate was full again. Satisfied with his good deed he spent a whole hour watching Tony work, biting half-heartily at his sandwich from time to time.   
The inventor put so little attention to his food that he didn't even realize it when Loki refilled the plate a third time, downing its contents without a second glance.

After another hour of watching Tony's hands at work, Loki was growing jittery by the minute, he wanted to touch the man yet again, to feel his bare skin under his, to taste his lips, but more than anything else he wanted to talk to him.

He hadn't noticed at first, but since his arrival in this realm he had talked to no one. 

No one but Tony. 

No one really caught his attention as the man before him, no one intrigued him as much as this little man with a mind as big as his ego.

He wanted nothing more than to spend some time with him, to hear his ideas, his dreams and his fears, he longed to have the man calling his name in the throes of passion.

He sighed sadly and thought of leaving, least he reveals himself again and ruins everything like last time, so he got up from his position and was already halfway through the room when he saw Tony putting down his tools, shutting down the music, the lights and heading out with a bottle in hand.   
He followed after him and saw the man entering the room with the cushions on the floor.  
Tony sprawled himself on top of the red one, the furthest from the door, and started drinking the contents of his bottle greedily.  
Loki sat near him, listening to his breathing and watching this brilliant man fog his mind with alcohol for no apparent reason.   
He watched over him till Tony fell asleep on the floor, empty bottle forgotten.

He then resumed his visible form and brushed his fingers through Tony's hair, playing idly with a wild brown lock.  
He caressed his bearded face and delectable mouth, inching closer with each caress and before he could stop himself he pecked the man's soft lips.  
He looked in awe as the inventor beneath him hummed softly in his sleep and snuggled closer to the god.   
Loki couldn't stop his thoughts to run wild, what a sight he would be with his lips swollen with kisses and nips.   
He shook himself, stopping these arousing ideas from etching in his mind, but it was already too late for that.  
He sighed resignedly and took Tony into his arms, not wanting to spend the night in this cold room, and carried him to his room.   
The Tower was blissfully empty and the Trickster made his way to Tony's room unconcerned about himself in the house of his enemies. He entered the dark room still carrying the inventor bride-style and laid him gently on the bed. Loki took off both their shoes before rearranging the inventor under the cover, taking his usual place near him on the pillow, but not under the duvet, for he feared himself greatly with Tony's warmth so close to him.   
He couldn't spent the whole night there, he was far too tired to risk falling asleep and be discovered the next morning, so he brushed his fingertips over the inventor's cheek and watched him sleep once again, as he had done before, and thought of the day when he won't have to hide anymore from him. 

When he would be welcomed into the inventor's arms at night.

He closed his eyes and dreamed of a fuller life.

 

A life worth living.

 

Tony woke screaming at the top of his lungs, a spine-chilling feeling deeply seated in his gut. He dreamt once again about blood and cold surfaces. Now he knew what that was about, though. He kept dreaming about his death, he could practically feel himself dying.   
Except that this made no sense whatsoever.   
He had come very intimate with it before, had a brush or two, but he had never really died.

So why this dream felt so real? 

The door of his room bursted open and Steve and Bruce practically bounced inside. They ran to his side, completely out of breath.

"Tony, what's wrong?"

"Tony, are you alright?"

"Uh… guys… what?"

Tony was still in bed, sheets pooled around him. He eyed his friends warily, but his mind wasn't working at full speed and it took him a while to form a proper answer. 

"Uh, yeah, s-sorry that I woke you. Just… just had a bad dream."

Steve was the closest to him and sat gracefully on the bed next to Tony, his arm circling the inventor shoulders protectively. 

"Tony, you scared the life out of me. We thought that someone had broken into the tower."

Bruce was looking out of the window at this point, opening the curtains and letting the sunlight into the room.

"Yes, you sounded really upset, but don't worry you didn't wake anyone. It's already 12 in the morning."

Tony squinted at the sudden brightness that engulfed the room and stood up, trying to protect his eyes.

"Wait… what? What the… gah, it's so late already!"

"Yes. Yes, it is. But I guess it's pretty normal for a billionaire to sleep in every now and then. Want something to eat? A late breakfast or a proper lunch, maybe?"

Steve stood up as well, taking in the sight of his friend, of his crumpled clothes, of the dark circles under his eyes.  
The Cap doesn't have to think too hard to find his answer: Tony had drunk himself to sleep once more.  
He sighed annoyed at his friend self-destructive behavior and tried to steer the conversation on the topic at hand.

"Do you remember what the dream was about? Maybe it's some repressed memories or something."

Bruce was staring straight at him now, trying to unravel this little mystery.

"Uh, no, not really. Sorry."

Tony hated to lie to his friends, but what good would it be to tell his friends that he dreams about his own death?   
They'll think him on the brink of suicide, after all they think already that he likes to hurt himself.

"Okay people, thanks for your concerns, but now the resident genius has work to do, so if you'll excuse me."

The inventor made it to the door before Steve could start his lecture on taking care of his own health.

Gah, he didn't need this bullshit on top of his own worries, so he made his way downstairs to his beloved lab and started his day a little later than planned.

 

Loki spent almost week looking for the elusive book on courtship, but with no luck at all in finding it.  
His days had become a painful routine, at night he would sit in Tony's lab, making sure that the inventor's plate was always full, least he collapsed from lack of food, and then he would wait till the first rays of the sun to leave the man's side to start his research once again.

He noticed that Tony has been even more on the edge lately, waiting to go to bed till he was completely spent and pretty much passed out from fatigue.  
He didn't know why but he didn't like it in the slightness.

Another day has passed and the sky was now getting darker, Loki had visited two bookstores already and decided to go into the last one for the day and reach the tower earlier, for he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. The place looked promising, with the perfect name printed in bold letters "Bookland. Every Book In The World."

He entered the huge building hastily, a soft rain had started pouring already and he didn't want to get soaked.

He neared a shop assistant and spoke quickly to her.

"Good evening miss, I require a very unique book and I was hoping you could be of assistance."

"Good evening sir, I'd be delighted to help you, what exactly are you looking for?"

The girl was young enough to blush lightly under Loki's firm gaze, but he didn't pay any mind to her.

"I'm looking for a courtship book. I need to know the Midgardian customs for genius courtship. Do you have something on this matter?"

"Uh… g-genius… Middy… w-what, we don't… I'm sorry what are you looking for, again?"

The girl was staring at him with a puzzled expression on her face, stuttering half phrases, and Loki couldn't get any more annoyed with this.   
Every place that he had visited till now had been full of stupid servants who didn't know the first thing about helping others, let alone him.

But now he had had enough.

"What is the problem? Your store states clearly 'Every Book In The World' why would you write that if you can't actually uphold to your title?"

"But… we… I'm sorry sir, I'm not really sure I understood your request."

Loki clasped his hands in front of him, took a deep breath and spoke to her even more slowly and carefully.

"I require a Midgardian breeding book. I wouldn't know how to be any clearer. "

"A Middy… oh, you mean a Mare's breeding book, like for horses?"

The girl looked at him with big eyes, face full of hope, and Loki's face fell.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU PATHETIC LITLLE ANT. ARE YOU MOCKING ME?"

Loki started yelling at her, pointing out all of her faults, so the people nearby got curious and neared the couple.

The poor girl was already crying silently, cheeks red in humiliation, not knowing how to get out of this situation when a booming voice cut Loki's tirade halfway through.

"What folly is this, to raise your voice in such a place?"

The Trickster turned angrily to the source of the voice, ready to strike the one who interrupted him, only to stare open-mouthed at the man who had approached him on his left. He was so immersed in his outburst that he didn't noticed him immediately, devoid of his usual attire he didn't even caught his eye at first, but now that he took in the height and the blond hair he had no doubt about him.   
He sighed deeply and looked at the only person he absolutely didn't want to get involved in his life anymore.

Thor.


	5. Every Coin has Two Sides

This really must be his lucky year, really. First he realizes that he feels something for his enemy, so very cliché and yet true, then he fail miserably at gaining aforementioned enemy to acknowledge that feeling, finally when he's so near to the end of his journey, where he had to find an elusive book, he got metaphorically punched in his gut.

 

What best way to throw all of his efforts to the wolves than meet his bro- Thor in a place full of books.  
What would he possibly be doing in such a place?  
The oaf had never set foot in the library in Asgard, so why starts now?

 

Loki stopped in mid-sentence, a look of horror on his face when he spotted the too big frame of his bro- of Thor. He quickly turned towards the exit, not wanting to confront the Asgardian then and there.  
He was still a fugitive after all, and if he were to be taken back to Asgard, then he'll have to face his punishment, imprisoned or killed by those arrogant fools, but what burned the most in his mind was the fact that if he were to leave Midgard he'll never see Tony again.

 

Ever again.

 

No, he couldn't allow that, so he fled the bookstore, avoiding the crowd that had formed during his confrontation with the little midgardian, and made his way as far away from the Thunderer as possible.  
He exited the building hastily and turned on his right into a dark alley, but not even halfway through he heard a familiar voice calling him out.

"Loki. Loki, wait. Wait, brother!"

Thor was fast on his heels and it didn't take much for him to reach the Trickster.  
He grabbed his brother's arm and spun him around, ready to face him.

"Leave me this instant. How dare you!"

Loki's plan was falling apart, now he'll have to fight Thor to free himself, but even if he were to win, the stupid oaf won't let him be, trying his best to find him yet again.

"It's really you, brother, by Odin's beard! I looked everywhere for you, and you were here the whole time?"

Thor looked at his brother from head to toe, examining him for wounds, cuts, a proof of any recent mischief, but found none.  
The Trickster looked perfectly groomed, with his usual air of superiority, but dark bags under his eyes gave him away, speaking volumes of how tired he must be.

"Brother, what have you been doing all this time? You look incredible tired. Are you well?"

Loki sneered at him, wrenching him arm free from the older God's grasp and snapped right back at him.

"I am NOT your brother. Stop calling me that. I was merely a pawn in Odin's grand scheme, but now I'm no more. And before you can start your speech about 'our' brotherly bond, let me just remind you that I've already heard it and couldn't care less. Now, if you'll excuse me I have bigger things to take care of."

He chewed his lower lip, worried that if he didn't take this chance at running, the blonde would trap him again to take him back to Asgard, so the Liesmith turned on his heels ready to teleport himself away when he felt a big hand on his shoulder, effectively stopping him from going away.

"You'll always be my brother. A family is not made of blood only, Loki. Think of our mother and father, before they married they were strangers, but when they decided to stay together they created a family, even if not related by blood at the beginning. I never cared about that, we grew up together. We shared our joys and our fears, you'll always be my brother, and I'll keep telling you every chance I get, till one day you'll believe me."

That struck something inside Loki.  
Something that even he didn't know it existed. All of his fears were washed away with such simple words.  
When had he started thinking of his brother as the enemy?  
Was it all because of Odin?  
Was he really so blind to Thor's love?  
There was a real chaos in his mind. 

In the meantime the blonde eyes were glistening with unshed tears, he wanted so much for him to come back to home, that it hurts him deeply to see this enraged creature before him.  
This was not his beloved brother, so scarred by his recently-found past that all he could see are flaws, forgetting that every coin has two sides.

"I won't be swayed by your words. You'll tell me anything I want to hear just to trap me again-"

The Trickster stuttered, stopping in mid-sentence, disgusted with himself when he realized what he had just admitted.  
Damn.  
He stared at Thor in horror and seeing a huge smile gracing his brother's face he ran for his life, but was soon tackled to the floor by a massive God, repeating his name like a mantra.

"Loki. Loki. Loki. Oh, brother, I knew it. I knew it. Oh, brother!"

"Stop it! Stop it, you foolish oaf! Let me go. You're crushing me, Thor, let go. Let go!"

Loki didn't know how to escape his brother's hold, the Thunderer held him tightly against him chest, not wanting to let him go ever again.  
He was so happy, finally, after all of his efforts to help Loki see through his clouded vision, his brother was finally accepting him. 

What a marvelous day, indeed.

Loki growled some more at his stupid brother, smiling inside that just a little phrase could make Thor so happy.  
Really, how naïve he was. 

"Ahem, Thor, are you alright?"

Both brothers turned instantly in the direction of the voice. Loki stared at the young woman in front of him. She was petite, with brown eyes and hair.  
Ah, yes, he had seen her before. She was Thor's lady of the moment. What was her name, again?

"Jane, what are you doing here?"

Thor released Loki from his hold, nearing the brunette with a frown.

"Me?! What are YOU doing out here? We're supposed to buy a gift for Darcy, one second I asked for your opinion and when I turn around you were gone! If you didn't want to come, you could have just said so!"

Jane was fuming, she made a fool out of herself, she thought she was talking to Thor who was just behind her, but not getting any answers to her numerous questions she turned around, only to find him gone.

"Oh. I'm sorry but I found my brother and I had to follow him before he could disappear yet again."

Thor regarded her with such innocent puppy eyes that Jane's anger evaporated almost instantly, only to be replaced with fear once she remembered that Thor's brother, the infamous Loki, wasn't exactly a tame, little lamb, but more of a ravaging wolf.  
She took a step back, and looked from Thor to Loki with a wary expression on her face.

"Your brother. Loki. As in murderous, crazy Loki?"

"Indeed. But let's not dwell on the past. We're reacquainting ourselves once again. This is a joyous day!"

Thor beamed at both Jane and Loki, trying to make his point very clear on the subject.

Jane looked even more scared than before, she knew that Thor had a soft spot for his brother, but this was well beyond that.

Loki on the other hand was facepalming himself, really, his brother could be such a huge blockhead.

"Do not fret, young lady. I was trying to leave, but this big oaf wouldn't relent. So now I'll take my leave."

Loki gathered his magic around himself, his familiar green hue enveloping him completely and as soon as he was disappearing he heard his brother's voice.

"Loki, wait. Just know that I'm here for the time being, so if you need anything, anything at all, please come seek me. Please, brother."

Loki disappeared completely from the alley, leaving behind a very disappointed Thor and a relieved Jane.

"Care to explain this to me? Because last time we meet him, he was trying to rule Earth. So, what is he up to, now?"

Jane shivered from fear, she remembered her last encounter with doctor Selvig and his story about the time he spent with the Trickster and she wasn't so sure about the Liesmith intentions.

"Worry not, dear Jane. My brother seemed past his destructive ways as of now."

"How could you be so sure? He is the God of Lies after all."

"Aye. That he is. But he was searching for something special inside that store, and I don't think he noticed me, but I overheard part of the discussion."

"So? What was he looking for? The Art of War?"

"No, no. He was looking for a mating book."

"Mating? Like for animals?"

"No, I think he is in love. The Loki of late would have attacked me as soon as I called him brother. But he did not. He is changed, he is… gentler. Like his old self, before the Chitauri and everything else. I only hope that if he fails in his mission he wouldn't descent even deeper into his void."

Jane didn't look very pleased with Thor's explanation but she let it go for the moment, they were already late for Darcy birthday and still have to look for a present.  
She grabbed the Thunderer's arm and hauled him inside another store nearby.

 

Loki walked for a long time after his little encounter, his mind running a thousand miles per hour, thoughts chasing one after another.  
He had somehow managed to patch his relationship with his brother.  
The how seems to escape his knowledge at the moment, but despite his countless doubts this truce doesn't make him feel weak.  
Nor the words of Thor felt like pity on his tongue, on the contrary, the sounded truer than anything he had heard in a long time. His feet carried him to the tower without his realization, he was so used to this path by now that he didn't even noticed it at first.  
He shrugged his thoughts from his mind and teleported himself directly on the balcony out of Tony's room. 

He opened the lock with a flick of his hand and neared the bed, observing the inventor sleeping soundly on his side.  
He stretched himself on the bed, effectively spooning him with his arm loosely on Tony's waist, and relaxed completely. 

Suddenly he felt the billionaire shivers under the covers, he tossed in bed, murmuring something intelligible. A nightmare had made his way into Tony's mind and Loki turned the man to face him, holding him tightly, smoothing his dark hair gently and whispering sweetly in the smaller man's ears.  
Tony relaxed under the Trickster ministrations and fell once again in a deep sleep.  
Loki held him all night long, tracing little patterns in his back, kissing his forehead once in a while, playing with his unruly strands and when the sun rose he left the man's bed with a heavy heart.  
He couldn't stand this situation anymore.  
Today he would do something about it.

After all 'someone' offered his help to him earlier, so he might as well take him on his word.


	6. You'll Win the Hand of your Fair Maiden

There were only sounds at first, then came words, then someone was shaking him.  
He was warm, so very warm, he didn’t want to leave this place.

“…ny…”

“…ony… up…”

“Tony! Up! Up! Up!”

Tony woke with a yell, startled, eyes unfocused till he heard that voice once again.

“Tony, please, wake up, we have to go.”

The room was washed in the morning light, he was practically blind from it for a whole minute, then the inventor looked up at the masked face of Captain America, talking to him way too fast so early in the morning.

“I’m up… Cap… Wait…”

Tony tried to dispel the last remnants of sleep from his mind and rose from the bed on unsteady feet.

“Thank God, I’ve been trying to wake you for a while now. Suit up, we have a situation downtown, Clint and Bruce went ahead, so catch up as soon as you can.”

Steve condensed all of his speech in less than 15 seconds, something went definitely south to force the good Cap to basically run out of Tony’s room leaving a vapor trail behind.

The genius looked around in his room, noticing suddenly that this was the first day that he didn’t woke from a bad dream, well, from his point of view that wasn’t so bad as start, so he’ll be doing his best to end it the same way. He grabbed his discarded clothes from the floor and made his way to the lab and to his Mark VII, fully awake and ready to kick some asses.

The situation downtown wasn’t exactly ideal, but when Tony arrived most of the Doombots were already down, so his work wasn’t overly difficult. In retrospect he really thought that the fight was pretty much won when he arrived, and of course he didn’t even bothered with a patrol before landing in the street below, ready to tell Steve that he was heading home, except for the fact that one tiny bot was still up and running, specifically at him and from behind, blasting him through a wall and sending him on the other end of an abandoned building.

Tony awoke with a sharp pain to his side, the suit was supposed to be indestructible but he could feel something hurting him, a dull pain only intensified with the fall. The Doombot rested motionless on the floor a few feet from him, completely destroyed with and overly happy Hulk smashing its last remnants through the concrete.

Suddenly someone blocked the view and a very worried Steve helped him to his feet, his lips a thin line of disappointment and anger.

“You okay?”

“Y… yeah… more or less. What the fuck happened?”

“Well, if you ever would follow my lead, you would have known that the street you landed on was still full of bots, but no, why listen to the ones who were there before, just sit and enjoy the show.”

By the end of his rant Steve had made his way to the Hulk, who looked a little annoyed that the fun part was over, but as soon as he saw a limping Tony he rose to his feet and neared the inventor.

“Tin man hurt?”

“Aww, how cute, you worry about me, really, the people here only yell at me. It’s okay Big guy, I’m fine. Just-”

He didn’t even get to finish his sentence when another stab of pain went through him, leaving him on his knees with all of the Avengers looming over him, trying to figure out what was wrong.

“Tony, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Talk to me!”

“I’m… I’m not sure… something’s wrong, but I don’t know what. Jarvis, full body scan, look for damaged suit parts.”

‘Sir the scansion is complete and the armor is intact, the suit is in perfect condition.’

“Damn, this isn’t good.”

By now the inventor has risen up, held between Steve and Clint, while the pain in his side calmed down to a mild throbbing  
.  
“Tony, we need to get you back to the Tower and as soon as Bruce is back, he will examine you.”

Steve was already moving towards their transportation, supporting almost all of Tony’s weight and shouting orders to the Shield’s agents around them.

“Damn, this is so embarrassing.”

They made it back without any more incidents and Tony headed down to his lab with Steve’s help, together they took away all of the suit, looking for any trace of wounds, but found nothing at all.

“This is definitely strange, but maybe is something internal?”

“This isn’t funny, Steve!”

Tony was really worried by now, he stripped off his t-shirt and examined the skin on his side. Smooth and perfect.  
No scar, no wound, nothing that could indicate a sudden pain like the one he felt.  
This wasn’t boding too well for him, if Cap was right he could be bleeding internally and be dead in a matter of hours.

He had to do something, but what?

“Jarvis, start a new body scan, look for internal bleeding, anything, everything out of the ordinary. Steve, go find Bruce, I think we might need his help right now.”

“Got it.”

Now that Tony was alone all of his thoughts were turning ugly, what if this was what kept him awake at night? Maybe he got cancer, or his liver finally decided to fail him after so many years of abuse…

’Sir, I think I found something.’

Time of truth.

“Okay, Jarvis, tell me. Something’s wrong, right? What is it, cancer? A tumor? Am I dying? ”

“Actually Sir, it seems like you have a metal shard embedded in your side.”

“Come again?”

 

 

 

The afternoon wasn’t extremely cold so Loki decided to take his time and walk towards his destination. Earlier in the day he had made his mind about it and after having thought this through several times he gathered enough courage to face his task. After all he had nothing to fear from anyone, or so he thought entering the building in front of him, making his way up the internal stairs and reaching a brown, non-descriptive door.  
He knocked sharply and heard a little yelling and several voices from inside.

“Coming!”

While he waited for the door to be unlocked he reconsidered his plan, but it was too late to leave now. The door was opened by a short brunette and as soon as he was recognized a string of curses could be heard from the little thing in front of him.

“My God, it’s you! It’s really you! Guys, Loki’s here, I’m mean, maybe I’m hallucinating or something, but I’m pretty sure that Loki’s on our front door!”

The Trickster spun on his heels, ready to flee the scene, changing his mind about his plan when he heard a loud growl, followed by thunderous footsteps and he found himself flattened to the floor by a bear-like being, his name yelled over and over again by an over joyous god of thunder, incredibly happy to see his brother twice in less than three days.

“Oh, by Odin’s beard, brother, you’re here, this is glorious! I’m so happy.”

Thor was still crushing Loki to the ground, hugging him and completely ignoring the people that had gathered because of the commotion, worried that some thief had made his way to their building.

“Can’t… breathe… you… oaf… let… go…”

Loki couldn’t feel his arms anymore, his lungs were burning with the lack of oxygen, he couldn’t believe his stupid brother…  
Thor’s always been too enthusiastic about things in general, but this was ridiculous, he was going to get killed with a hug!

There were two women on the threshold looking at them now, the brunette who opened the door and another one, the one who was with Thor the other day.

Jane.

Apparently she was the voice of reason, for she talked to the others and tell them that it was okay, just a brotherly reunion, that no one was in real danger.

Right.

“Thor, you know, I think you’re crushing him to death. I know you’re supposed to be immortals and everything, but I think he’s turning way too red.”

Thor shot to his feet, worried to have accidentally hurt his brother and dragged the Trickster with him, holding him by his arms and looking him over.  
Loki was only so grateful to be able to breathe again and scrolled his brother’s hold easily, adjusting his clothes and glaring at him.

“You idiot! Are you trying to kill me?”

“Of course not, brother, what nonsense are you saying?”

Thor stared at him, brows knitted in confusion.

Loki sighed deeply, really, no one should be so clueless.

“Why don’t we all go inside? I told everyone that we were fine, but they could still call the police.”

The suggestion wasn’t so bad, and after coming all the way here and almost getting killed by his brother Loki accepted the invitation and entered the small apartment with a resigned sigh.

They were all seated at the kitchen table, waiting for Loki to explain his sudden appearance in their lives.

“So, brother, what brings you here?”

“I… I… I might need some advice…”

Loki felt all eyes on him, he had never, ever, in his long life asked for help.

Never.

But this was different, he couldn’t find a better solution to his problem, and he can’t sit and wait for things to change on their own.

“It seems to me that you have acquired a Midgardian lover on your own in a short period of time and I’m seeking similar answers to my many questions…”

“Wait, what, you need dating advice? Really?”

He was suddenly interrupted by the little brunette that Jane had introduced to him when they went inside.  
Darcy, her name was Darcy, and he needed to remember them well, if he ever hoped to find help from this people.

Jane was really trying to help Thor mend his relationship with his brother, doing her best to play the good host and making things as less awkward as possible, she even brought tea, hot chocolate and coffee for their ‘talk’.

“Yes, I suppose you could say that.”

“Worry not, brother, you’ll win the hand of your fair maiden.”

Loki choked on his tea, and part of it made its way out of his nose at the mention of his ‘maiden’.

“Ehm… yes, we’ll see, tell me how you did it, maybe your story could be of use.”

A bright grin exploded on the Thunderer face, he lunched himself in his story, telling Loki everything that had happened since his exile on Earth.

After two hours Loki was even more confused than before, the tale was weird even by his standards, but apparently it worked well for his brother.

“So, to starter, I need a van like yours, right?”

“If you want to kill your ‘fair maiden’… yeah, why not.”

Darcy quipped sipping her chocolate calmly, a laugh barely contained.

“Well, but he said…”

“Believe me, we hadn’t met before and we didn’t do it on purpose. You’re missing the whole point.”

He was abruptly interrupted a red-faced Jane, silencing them both with a glare.

“But… fine, then what about the second time you two met?”

“Oh, this is great, forget the second time.”

“Why?”

Loki was even more confused by now, what was the point of the story if he can’t use it?

“ ’cause she ran him over!”

“Darcy! Stop it!”

Loki was getting a huge headache from all this. He couldn’t even tell if they were really trying to help him or not.

Thor was laughing too at this point, and the Trickster felt even more helpless than before, how is he to gain Tony’s love with such a useless help?

 

 

 

Tony was still looking at the scans by the time Bruce made it to the lab, freshly turned, with black bags under his eyes.  
The inventor could tell that his friend was very tired but this couldn’t wait till morning.

“Hey Brucey, I have a riddle for you. How does a shard of metal get inside of me without me getting cut in the process?”

“Uhm, Tony, you’re not making any sense. Steve told me that you had Jarvis ran some scans, can I see them, please?”

Tony neared the scientist and expanded the holograms of his scans for Bruce.

“Sure, knock yourself out.”

Bruce looked at them with experienced eyes and then examined Tony’s side, feeling it with blunt fingers.

“Are you sure that you weren’t hurt before? I mean, from the scan I can’t be sure, maybe you got the shard a long time ago and now…”

“No, I’m pretty sure, I had Jarvis run some tests based on its density and he came up with a date, no more than three weeks ago, which is impossible, since I should be sporting a scar, at the very least. ”

“Right, right. Jarvis, can you enlarge the image, please?”

‘Yes, doctor Banner.’

Bruce moved near the hologram, tracing the shape of the metal with his fingers and pondering why it felt so familiar.  
In the meantime Tony had gathered his clothes and was tying his shoe when the doctor turned toward him with and indecipherable expression on his face.

“This thing has a sharp and peculiar shape, I might be wrong, mind you, but I think that you have the tip of a knife inside of you. The real question is how did it get there.”

“Well, fuck.”


	7. Great Minds Think Alike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So so sorry for the delay, I'll try to finish this up as soon as I can!

The pavement was incredibly cold. Sure, it was late at night and wintertime, still, Tony was baffled by how cold it could be, or maybe that was just his reaction to bleeding to death all alone.

He was an idiot, that was the simple truth, he had gone alone, not wanting to face the others and now he will die as the idiot he was, with no help en route to aid him, only the coldness of the wind billowing around him.  
Like a distant night, one when his life turned upside down.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the mouthy bastard at loss of words.” Snickered a wicked voice from above him. The man walked closer to the genius, gun still in hand, and looked down to his prey.  
He was so close that Tony could smell the stench of smoke from the half-lit cigarette.

He knew that this was it.

No suit, no weapons, no help.

He yelped in pain when the man stepped on his injured shoulder, then glared back at him, refusing to let him see his fears.  
The man laughed viciously, pressing a little harder on the wound, “Got any last wishes?” he sneered back, pointing the gun at Tony’s head, ready to shoot. “No? too bad…”

Tony held his gaze and then the world turned red…

 

Blood, his mind supplied, so much blood…

 

 

**6 hours earlier…**

His mind was still reeling after Bruce’s discovery, his world falling apart. A piece of metal in his side, ‘cause the ones crawling towards his heart weren’t enough.  
Still, the real question here was ‘what the hell happened?’ He had no recollection of a knife fight, much less one with him on the losing end, especially since he should be dead, right?

Or not.

Tony sat on his lab’s floor, he held his head in his hands, recalling a ‘certain’ night, when he drank his weight in alcohol and mysteriously ended up back home.  
He had thought about it the next day, but then it had slipped his mind completely, after all that was hardly the first time he got home drunk, and yet something kept tugging at his mind, some lingering thought that he couldn’t quite grasp.

“C’mon, man, you’re supposed to be a genius, here, remember!”

He kept thinking and thinking back at that night, he knew something was wrong and yet he can’t remember what.

_“Perhaps I might be of assistance, sir?”_

Jarvis voice snapped him out of his reverie, of course! Jarvis!

“Jarvis, oh, man, Jarvis, I knew I was a genius!” Tony exclaimed, jumping to his feet and heading towards the holographic screen over his desk.

“Jarvis, pull the security footage, let’s say about three weeks ago.”  
He waited patiently to have all the footage and started sorting through it, going room to room, watching his friends walk, talk, eat and then he found the one he was looking for, the one from the night when he broke up with Pepper.

What he saw was truly mind-blowing, to say the least.

He watched it five times before having Jarvis describe the scene for him, ‘cause that simply can’t be true.

_“It appears, sir, that Mr. Laufeyson was the one who brought you back from your night out.”_

“Fuck, Jarvis, I can see that, but… that can’t be real… why would he… no, this makes no sense whatsoever…”  
He stared once more at the screen in front of him, watching the Liesmith carrying his sleeping form to the bed, stripping and cleaning him, hands lightly touching his naked flesh, a brief touch on his reactor, and then… and then… he frigging caressed his cheek!

Tony felt utterly shocked, of all the things he was expecting, this certainly wasn’t it.

He looked at the Loki on the screen once more and then everything came back to him in a rush, a man dressed in black… a flash of silver… a stinking alley… blood, pain, and huge green eyes…

 

**_‘Open your eyes, look at me! Talk to me’_ **

****

Oh, fuuuuuuck!

 

He was totally screwed, that was for sure, and yet he could feel something else tugging at his heart.  
But first things first, he had to know if this was a one-time thing or if the Trickster had something else planned for him.

“Jarvis, did he… did he came back after that night?”

_“… yes, sir.”_

Tony closed his eyes, he had to know, but what will he find? Obviously he’s still alive, so no harm had come to him, or his friends, but what the hell was happening, and more importantly, why?

“Show me.”

Jarvis ordered the scenes chronologically, starting with that first night, their bedroom encounter, and every night after that with a certain god cuddled against Tony’s side, petting and whispering to him, soothing him when his nightmares clawed at his mind, caring for him when he was sure that no one, not even Tony, could see him.

Tony sat back at his desk, this was just too much to digest, he needed help, someone to talk to, someone that could actively advise him.

“Jarvis… uhm… Jarv, call Bruce, tell him to make a huge cup of tea and to come here, I… I need to show him something.”

_“Yes, sir, doctor Banner in on his way.”_

Tony was playing idly with a piece of his gauntlet when he heard the door to the lab opening and Bruce’s voice calling out to him.

“Tony? You here? Jarvis told me the strangest thing, are you okay? Did something else happened?”

“In here, big guy, as for the rest, I have no idea.” Tony slowly raised from his seat and went to greet his friend.  
He grabbed Bruce’s cup of tea and gulped down a mouthful before giving it back to the doctor.

Bruce was rooted to the spot, he had never, ever seen Tony Stark drink anything that wasn’t either coffee or Scotch.

“Tony… are you dying?”

The inventor laughed a little, “no, big guy, I’m fine, I think. I need you to see something and then I need to know what you think about it. Here, have a seat and enjoy it. I’m gonna grab a shower and we’ll talk later.”

“Okay, sure, but why the dramatics? Tony?”

The inventor left without answering and Bruce made himself confortable at his desk, he waited for the video to start, fixing his glasses and tasting his tea.  
The screen played the security footage from Tony’s bedroom, the stamp on the left side dated it back to almost 3 weeks ago, he didn’t know what to expect, but surely not Loki entering the room with Tony in his arms.

 

Well, maybe he needed something a little stronger than green tea.

 

The water was a perfect mix of cold and hot, just the right temperature to loosen all the knots on Tony’s shoulders and to keep him awake despite his exhaustion.  
His thoughts kept circulating on a pair of green eyes, and he touched his lips with his forefinger, he hadn’t dreamt the kiss, nope, no sir, he wasn’t hallucinating, that was as real as everything else.  
The inventor sighed deeply and shut off the shower, he dried himself up as fast as he could and went to find Bruce.  
If he kept thinking about their little ‘something’ he’ll get distracted and this was not the right time.  
He stepped into his bedroom and found the doctor already there, nervously fiddling with his glasses.

Bruce looked up when he heard Tony entering the room, “I… Tony, I… uhm…” he didn’t know what to say, what to think. What he had seen wasn’t just some random prank on the Trickster part, one could clearly see the care in his actions, but to what end?

Was it really as it seems? Was Loki… was he… in love with Tony?

And yet, what other reason could it be?

They looked at each other for a long time, Tony knew what Bruce was thinking, he had thought the exact same thing after all, great minds think alike, so when the doctor only stared at him, he knew he was lost.

“Bruce, I… ” Tony tried to come up with something witty, to lighten the mood, but came up empty.

“This isn’t about what I think, Tony, it’s about what YOU think of it.”

He couldn’t hold Bruce’s questioning gaze any longer, so he walked toward the window, glancing out to the darkening sky “I’m not exactly sure. I mean, what should I think about it? It doesn’t make any sense, he tried to kill me, to kill us, pretty much every other week in the last year, and now he’s playing nurse? It doesn’t make any fucking sense!”

Bruce’s voice was gentle, soothing, when he answered back ”and yet he had done nothing of the sort in the last two months, right? Even before that, his attempts were nothing more than a ruse to see you, that’s why he always came at you. I’d say that that and this make perfect sense. I think that he-“

“Don’t’ you fucking dare say it!” yelled Tony, turning toward his friend.

“Very well, then, I think you should talk to Thor, maybe… I don’t know, maybe he knows something?”

“Right, ‘cause Goldilocks usually is an unlimited source of wisdom…” drawled Tony, looking as unimpressed as he sounded.

“Well, he usually is when it came to Loki.” Pointed out the doctor.

“Do you always have to be right? Really, you want a trophy or something? Fine, I’ll go find Point Break and we’ll see.”

Tony left Bruce in his room, the doctor was still smiling at his antics, and that was worth a lot, especially seeing how rare it was.

Tony found Thor on his third try, the Thunderer was watching some TV with the others, so he had to lure him out of there somehow, before mother-hen Steve got an aneurysm out of this whole mess.

The inventor neared the couch and whispered to the god’s ear “hey, blond and tall, how ya doin’? Can you come with me for a while, I need to talk to you.”

Thor looked surprised for a moment, then boomed his response so softly that even New Jersey heard it.

“Friend Tony! We have much to talk about, I might need your advice in a delicate matter.”

Three pairs of eyes all turned toward the two of them and Tony knew it was over even before it started.

“What’s wrong? Something happened?”

“Ah, really, advice from Tony, are you drunk?”

“If you need something you could ask, we’ll help.”

“Ehm… that’s okay guys, really, I just need Goldilocks here… he… he kinda have the right expertise, you know.”  
Tony was pretty desperate at this point, if Clint or Natasha ever got wind of his situation they’ll rip him a new one, literally.

But, of course, luck was never on his side, lately, so the redhead in question raised a perfect eyebrow and burned a hole in Tony’s forehead with her gaze “talk.”

The genius sighted loudly, this was going downhill very fast, but he didn’t want to actually talk about it, since he still didn’t know how he felt about it.

“Fine, fine. But I’m telling you, I just found out and you won’t like it, nope, not one bit. Jarv, pull up the video and load it on the TV screen, we’re gonna watch a new episode of Crazyland.”

On the screen the movie stopped abruptly, and a new video appeared, one of Tony’s bedroom and a long sequences of raw footage.

The group watched silently till the very end, and then all hell broke loose.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Clint was the first to jump to his feet and confront the inventor.

“Stark, I can’t believe you didn’t tell us!” Followed by a very angry Natasha.

“Tony, oh, my God, Tony…” not to forget mother-hen Steve in his super Cap mode.

“Guys, fuck guys, I just told you-” Tony tried to speak over the chaos, but was suddenly interrupted by a huge roar.

 

**“SON OF STARK!”**

 

They all froze, watching Thor with something akin to fear, it was well known that the Thunderer had a soft spot for his little, homicidal brother.

“Son of Stark…” repeated the god, raising from the couch and nearing Tony, “you’re not a fair maiden!”

They all looked at Thor, thinking that he had obviously lost his mind, “… are you drunk?” asked Clint with mirth in his voice.

“Of course not, but… I had a talk with my brother and he had told me that he was courting a fair, Midgardian maiden and needed help to win her over. He… lied to me.”

Tony blinked twice before finding his voice “Uhm… so you’re saying that you’re upset because the God of Lies actually lied to you?”

“It’s not… I mean… yes.” Thor flopped down again, with his sad puppy-face on “what did you want to know?”

This time Tony didn’t even had the time to open his mouth that the others went at it once again, all turning towards him.

“You can’t be real-”

“How do you know it’s not a trick-”

“Really, a maiden?”

They were talking all together, so loud that he couldn’t even think of what to say back “enough! I’m done explaining myself to you. I’ve done nothing wrong and I won’t be blamed for something that I don’t even get.”  
He yelled, looking at his friends once again and feeling a twinge of regret inside.

No one, not one of them actually asked if HE was alright, they all thought that he was a slut, anyway, ready to fuck anyone, so why bother asking if he was okay with it, right?  
The inventor turned on his heels and left the room, the shouts still impossible to ignore.  
If he had to be honest with himself, it had hurt, and a lot.  
To know that they think so little of him, after all they’ve done together, to know that for them he still is and always be just a rich playboy was... frustrating.

Tony left the Tower with a heavy heart, he thought that maybe a walk around the city would help him clear his mind, so he walked aimlessly for a very long time, ending up farther from home than he wanted to.  
He looked at the cars parked on the side of the street, it was so late that no one but him was around, the city was completely asleep, so he decided to come back before something happen to him, after all his face was on the news regularly and someone could-

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

Tony jumped at the sudden interruption to his thoughts and turned around, finding a young man pointing a gun at him.

He tried to be reasonable, to soothe the other guy “Look, man, this is not your lucky night, really, I even left home without any cash…”

The young man just looked at him, emerging from the dark alley he was hidden into, stepping under a streetlight.

As soon as he took one good look at his face, Tony’s blood ran cold, he knew this guy, he had seen him before… he was the one that stabbed him ‘that’ night.

“What is it, Mr. Stark? Cat’s got your tongue, uh? I bet you just remembered me, but that’s okay, ‘cause you won’t live long enough to tell the tale, and this time I’ll stick around to be sure that you die. You know, my boss wasn’t very pleased with me after that little stunt that you pulled. Really, who had thought you’ll be surviving that gutting.”  
He mused out load, before pointing his gun at Tony “Oh, well.”

The shot was deafening this close, Tony fell on the ground with the impact, but found himself still alive.

The dumbass had missed him… or not, he could feel a burning sensation spreading from his shoulder already.

God, so this was it? The guy was still talking, but Tony could only think of a pair of beautiful green eyes and soft pink lips, sweet and warm against his own.

What a joke, here he was, bleeding to death and yet again he was thinking with his dick, gah, maybe the others were right about him…

 

“Got any last wishes?”

 

“No? too bad…”

 

Tony gazed at the man one more time, this close he won’t miss a second time and then he heard the shot, louder still, and the world went red.


End file.
